New daily COVID-19 cases continued to fall, dropping to 14,546 on Monday, as independent pandemic researchers said the worst was likely over for most of the country.
Speaking at a forum Monday, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said COVID-19 infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant had probably peaked.
He pointed to the downward trend of new COVID-19 cases in the cities of Cebu and Davao.
David said the public should still be mindful of minimum health protocols because although the numbers were declining, the numbers are still substantial.
“We should still follow health protocols as we go out. There’s still a significant number of cases. We still have to self-isolate if we’re feeling symptoms, we have to wear face masks,” he said.
David also said the actual number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila was probably 1.8 times the number reported by the Department of Health (DOH), based on random antigen tests conducted by the Department of Transportation.
Provinces still experiencing a “significant increase” in new cases include Bukidnon, Camiguin, Cotabato, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao Oriental, Maguindanao, Negros Oriental, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, mostly in Mindanao, where the surge came later, after cases began to decline in the National Capital Region, Cavite, and Rizal, he said.
The country logged 14,546 new COVID-19 infections on Monday, as the Department of Health said there were 112 new deaths and 26,500 new recoveries.
Region 11 (Davao Region) posted the highest number of new cases at 1,381 (14 percent) in the recent two weeks. It was followed by Metro Manila with 1,053 (10 percent) and Region 7 (Central Visayas) with 973 (10 percent).
There were 190,818 active cases—the first time since Jan. 11 that these dipped below the 200,000 mark.
Of the 190,818 active cases, 97.4 percent were mild or asymptomatic, 3,126 were moderate, 1,540 were severe, and 329 were critical.
The positivity rate was at 28.4 percent out of the 52,013 tests conducted on Jan. 29, the lowest rate since Jan. 4 (26.20 percent).
On Sunday, the Philippines logged 16,953 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total caseload to 3,545,680. Of the new cases, 2,008 were recorded in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila.
Quezon City had the greatest number of new cases, followed by the cities of Manila and Makati.
On the other hand, Pateros registered the least number of new infections.
Also on Monday, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire underscored the importance of proper ventilation in homes, workplaces, and other establishments to prevent the spread of the virus.
She said proper ventilation can be achieved by always keeping windows or doors open and putting a fan in front of a window for good air circulation.